In Memory of Betty Hettinger and the Cowboy Bar

In Memory of Betty Hettinger and the Cowboy Bar. . , Located in a corner of the Schneider Ranch and adjacent to the Highlight Road in central Campbell County, sat the Cowboy Bar which served as a watering hole for thirsty roughnecks and miners for 26 years. , The bar began as an old outbuilding moved from the ranch to the Highlight Road and met with instant success in finding customers. The menu consisted of beer, pop, milk, sandwiches, snacks and lots of “Rolaids”. The actual bar inside the building was made from a massive thirty six inch wide, four inch thick piece of heartwood from an old growth Ponderosa Pine tree. , With roughnecks and miners working around the clock, the demand was strong. In its heyday, from 1970 to 1980, the Cowboy Bar was open from eight o'clock in the morning until late at night usually with wall to wall people. An arena was built next to the bar and steer roping and bull riding contests were held for several years. The establishment was nicknamed, “Sore, Wyoming” because more than a few cowboys left the events sore. , Patrons of the bar began signing dollar bills and thumb tacking them to the ceiling and walls. There were over 2000 dollar bills with signatures from all 50 states and many foreign countries including Sweden, Chile, Australia and Japan. , As energy prices changed, so did the tenor of the bar. It went from an establishment where people opened beer bottles by shooting the cap off with a pistol to a social center where people stopped by just to visit and enjoy the nostalgia of the old bar. , The ranch property was sold to coal mining interests in the 1970’s and the bar was finally closed in 1996 when the Cordero Mine began moving its mining operation in the direction of the ranch. , [photo caption] Betty Hettinger, Proprietor , Source: Gillette News Record